George Fox University’s Center for Peace and Justice invites the public to:

A Celebration of the Life and Poetry of William Stafford
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011
George Fox UniversityAdmission is free

The Center for Peace and Justice is honored to host an event in the annual January tradition of celebrating the life, legacy and poetry of former United States Poet Laureate and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford.

This event emerged through the efforts of Dennis Schmidling, chairman of the board of the Friends of William Stafford, who approached the Center for Peace and Justice and suggested its possibility. We are thankful for the Friends of William Stafford partnering with the Center for Peace and Justice and with the George Fox community in this celebration.

The beauty, poise and thoughtfulness exemplified in Stafford's life and shown forth in his work correlates marvelously with our ethos as a university committed to sharing visions of peace and hope with the community.

Special Guests

Haydn Reiss, director and producer of the recently released biographical documentary on William Stafford, Every War Has Two Losers

Oregon poets and educators Ingrid Wendt and Ann Staley will also be joining us

Finally, it is a significant reflective moment for our community as we celebrate the legacy of longtime faculty member and poet Ed Higgins as he transitions to emeritus status

About William Stafford

William Stafford lived a life that exemplified a journey toward peace and truth. His poetry bears witness to this, having themes of peace, nature, place, compassion and truth woven throughout. During World War II, he became a conscientious objector, and instead of going to war spent four years in civilian public service camps. During this time he crafted poems that would eventually become his masters thesis, Down in My Heart. Stafford was appointed the 20th United States Poet Laureate as well as poet laureate of Oregon.

For quick access to some examples of William Stafford’s poetry, please refer to the Friends of William Stafford's website: williamstafford.org